Photo of the Week: Bush Camping, Mali – West Africa 2011
Southern Mali Bush Camp
One of the most memorable photos from my time in West Africa was this camp spot in the far southwest of Mali.
We were hundreds of kilometres off the bitumen trying to map routes through the Bafing National Park. We followed tracks to the Bafing Chimpanzee Santuary which turned out to be completely shut down, it had been closed many years previously but we were in the area so had to check it out. We followed some feint tracks south from there which petered out from village to village. Each one we passed through we were greater warmly by the people. After 150km we were pretty deep and we knew our fuel supplies would be pushed to the limit (with 2 leaking tanks and running the 6cyl petrol). To top it off the clunk from the driveline got worse (turned out to be a front prop UJ) so we decided that night to turn tail and head back to refuel. We had mapped what little we could.
That night we heard some rustling around camp which turned out to be a stray cow. We could however hear in the distance a lot of chanting, singing and wailing. Maybe witch doctors are alive and well near the Guinean border after all.
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To read more about the MAPA Project and our adventures there, take a look here:
West Africa, MAPA Project 2011
365 Days Later…
26th January 2013 we said goodbye to everybody and everything we knew and drove out of my parents driveway in Swansea chasing the sunrise east until we couldn’t possibly drive any further on the Eurasia continent. I will never forget that day. With a lump in my throat I drove for the last time through streets of childhood memories and down familiar roads. Its difficult to describe what we were feeling at that point in time. It was certainly a small mix of sadness and apprehension, along with questioning doubt. We didn’t know what lay ahead for us, what the road would throw at us or what would happen next. We were very sad to be leaving loved ones behind but we knew that overall we were doing the right thing. It felt right. To make a change and better ourselves. (more…)
Photo of The Week: Hidden Valley, Scotland
We had never spent much time in Scotland before we left the UK. We had planned a short tour with the Land Rover in 2008 but ended up in Morocco instead. Later in 2011 we planned a cycling tour through the Outer Hebrides but again, I ended up in Africa instead.
When our good friends Si and Ed mentioned joining them and Si’s brother in Glen Coe for a weekend, we jumped at the chance. It was a few months before our departure but splitting fuel costs helped a lot! We all jammed into the car for 4 days climbing, camping and hiking in the rain.
This photo is taken using a well placed rock and timer on our Leica at the start of the hidden valley. Another great day out with good friends.
You Don’t Know Africa…
No this isn’t some rant or ego boosting ‘I’m better than you’ blog. Its just an interactive game to test your knowledge of the great continent’s countries… so relax.
I got 20 countries in 1:28 and the full 48 in 3:30. Both in the 1st go. See how you get on and leave your times in the comments. Go on, it will be fun!
Go play at: http://youdontknowafrica.com
Photo of The Week: Lake District Recovery, England
Losing traction on a short rock ledge, the vehicle was close to a rock outcrop. Several attempts with waffle boards were made to gain traction but ultimately didn’t work. Deploying the ground anchor gave the 30cm of pull required to gain traction with the front wheels and free the vehicle… James was very pleased. First time used and now always carried. Great piece of recovery kit if a little heavy.
Photo of The Week: Pembrokeshire Sunset
In 2011 we set off from Milford Haven in west Wales with two 50 litre packs containing everything we needed to sustain 10 days on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path.
This photo is one of many clifftop sunsets we saw as the sun dropped into the Atlantic ocean.
Photo of The Week: Happy New Year! Stanage Edge, Peak District UK
Descending the icy rock garden of Stanage Edge on a winter afternoon in the Peak District, England.
Happy New Year from Sirocco Overland!
I hope this week’s ‘Photo of the Week’ finds you all healthy and well, it just so happens that this Wednesday falls on New Year’s Day. So what adventurous plans do you all have for 2014? We are working hard to save money and fix up the truck/trailer for a 5 month half loop of Western Australia and the Northern Territories later this year. Let us know what you’re up to and what you’re planning, leave your comments below.
January 2014 Desktop Calendar
Something new for 2014, a series of desktop calendars for your use on your work or home computer. Just right click and save the image to your hard-drive then open it up and save as ‘desktop background’. Its pretty straight forward and a functional tool for those who want it. I did have a series of these all lined up earlier this year but we left them on the laptop in the Land Rover during shipping! So, anyway, a new year and a new start.
Photo of the Week: Col de Iseran, French Alps 2009
Church, Col de Iseran
As a former competing cyclist the lure of the French Alps drew us there in 2009 for a more relaxed driving holiday within Europe. Alongside driving the old military roads on the Italian border and the highest accessible point in Europe I wanted to drive some of the Tour de France main mountain passes in the region. The col de Bonnette, col de Parpilon, Col de Izord etc.
This photo is from the top of the Col de Iseran in late August. There is a TDF Museum here also but it was closed when we arrived as it was late in the season.
2013 Photo Collection – The Selfie
noun (plural selfies)
informal
A photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website.
Selfie made it into the Oxford English Dictionary this year so we thought we would trawl through what we had and post a few of the best ones up from 2013. We don’t take these usually but the GoPro had a habit of catching that ‘Selfie’ whenever I set up the time-lapse. (more…)
Photo of The Week: Cadair Idris, Wales 2007
Seeing as the UK and Europe may be expecting snow this Xmas l thought a little winter scene might be in order. Back in 2007 when we had the old Land Rover 90 we took a week off work and devised a route from south to north Wales encompassing as much off pavement as we could. The forecast on the run up to our time off didn’t look favourable with plenty of rain and low temperatures. The forecast was correct and we battled our way through mud and self recoveries all alone in the Welsh countryside.
Mixed in with our 4×4 plans was a walk up Cadair Idris and Snowdon. Even though it was spring, recent weather had brought the snowline down to 600m. We didn’t know the mountain particularly well, but we pressed on anyway. This photo is of Lisa on the south side of the cwm about 1 hour from the summit.
We made it back to a sodden roof tent just before it got dark.
2013 Holiday Gift Guide for Photographers – by Bret Edge
Bret Edge has put together a small collection of ace gifts for the fanatical photographer this Christmas. If you know someone who would like this stuff take a look at his blog post here:
2013 Holiday Gift Guide for Photographers.
Bret is an American based photographer but many of the products mentioned are available internationally. Although, not quite at the same price! Happy shopping.
Bret’s website can be found here: http://blog.bretedge.com/
Photo of The Week: Pelicans in Flight, Senegal 2011
Mapping the National Parks in Senegal for MAPA was great fun. As the parks were all wetland we got to leave the confines of the Land Cruiser and head out on a boat or Pirogue for the day.
This Photo was taken at Oiseaux de Djoudj National Park in the north of Senegal on the Mauritania border. It is one of the most important wetland reserves as its the 1st freshwater source for migrating European birds. After crossing the Mediterranean and Sahara approximately three million migratory birds are supported here.
Alongside Nazinga in Burkina Faso this was one of the more memorable parks in terms of wildlife.
2014 Expedition Portal Calender Winners
Good news folks, we got two of two submitted images into the 2014 Expedition Portal Calender Competition. I didn’t post anything here on our website but I did put a link on our Facebook page during voting. Thank you to everyone that voted, appreciated. (more…)
Photo of The Week: Kelly Kettle, Autumn Woods
There is no finer way to make a group a well earned cup of tea in the wild. A day out greenlaning with friends in autumn, somewhere in Wiltshire.
Extending your Indonesian Visa in Bali, Kuta
If you picked up your visa on arrival you are only eligible for 30 days entry. You can extend this whilst in Indonesia but I would strongly recommend obtaining the 60 day visa in your home country before leaving, or if you have the money (and not the time) fly out of Indonesia and re-enter for another visa. At the time of writing you could only extend to a maximum of 60 days on a regular tourist visa. (more…)
Photo of The Week: New Forest, November 2011
Lisa’s birthday this time! Another weekend in the New Forest. We took our bikes along with our new Marmot 4 season tent and some other toys to try out. We packed the bikes out for the day and stayed offroad as much as possible. We found a new tea shop in Brockenhurst that were giving out complimentary cakes, tea and champagne! We ate and drank lots as we watched the world go by outside.
A good days riding on easy relaxing forest roads and sleeping under the stars at night.
Overlanders Most Dangerous Destinations
Many seasoned overlanders would agree that the biggest immediate danger presented to them comes not from violent crime, assault, malaria or vehicle theft but from other road users sharing that thin ribbon of (hopefully) unobstructed land.
This clearly defined interactive map shows the number of deaths per 100,000 population for most of the world’s countries. Grim I know but I think it could be useful. Stats can often get skewed with these things so its best to draw comparisons from your own experiences. From my experience Mali was probably the worst for careless driving alongside Kazakhstan which both rank in the low 20’s. However does this translate to the statistics shown? Linked to the map are a number of accounts from developing nations that I can personally attest to from Bamako, Mali and Jakarta in Indonesia. Let us know what you think from the places you have visited and driven in the comments.
http://pulitzercenter.org/reporting/africa-mali-bamako-motor-accident-road-infrastructure-scooter
Photo of The Week: Corbiere, Jersey UK 2012
Last year, for my birthday Lisa took me away for a long weekend on Jersey. It was a surprise, I didn’t know where we were going until we got to Gatwick Airport. Before we left I was advised to take all my photography gear with me. What would I need? I didn’t know.
After arriving at our hotel we made a plan of things to do. This included a visit to Corbiere Lighthouse on the west of the island for sunset. I spent hours taking different compositions in fading light before returning to the hotel.
It was another great weekend away that produced another favorite photo of mine.
Celebrating 10 years of use: Nixon Footsoldier Watch
Battered but not broken
It occured to me the other day that the time piece on my wrist has been with me for over 10 years now. Bought when I was at University, I put a small bit of my 2nd years student loan on the table. Granted it’s been well used and no longer looks that great but I still love it.
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Photo of The Week: Bristol Packrafting 2012
Before our departure from the UK we tried to pack in as many micro-adventures as possible. This included a number of Thursday evening paddles down the Avon Canal with my good friend Simon.
This photo is coming into Bristol city itself after a 12km paddle. The reason it stands out for me is that after we got to dry land a friend called who had gotten his Land Rover stuck down a greenlane. It was all ready getting dark but we rushed out to help, freeing the vehicle after 7 hours in a hedge. It was a long day but well remembered.
Overlanders Review: Sea to Summit packable daypack
Not strictly overlanders gear, you probably think this is more suited to general travel and you would probably be right. But having said that, many people come to the overlanding world from a vehicular perspective and may have little or no travel experience before they embark on ‘the BIG one’.
Photo of The Week: West Africa, Mali 2011
This week’s photo is from a very remote village in Mali. We were here to help The MAPA project map and record information on all National Parks and reserve areas in Mali, Burkina Faso and Senegal. Maps show little to no roads in these parks and those on paper maps have been lifted from old IGN maps dating back to the 50’s.
This village in particular is north of Mora Mora in the de Boule NP. Villages here do not have motorised transport so when our Land Cruiser pushed through the bush the whole village came out to meet us. With mud huts so close together, the villagers moved their firewood aside and congregated on the edge of the village to see us off. I took this photo from the roof of the Cruiser. The curious look from the children is due to them never seeing a camera before.
For me this is the most poinient photo of our expedition through West Africa.
Our GPS tracks for the area can be found on Tracks4Africa
Lisa
Griff
Sirocco Overland | Сирокко Оверленд 